Pakistan receives 100 int'l flights of relief items as flood death toll rises to 1,500

Islamabad, Sep 16 (IANS) Pakistan has received a total of 100 international flights carrying relief items for flood victims since August 28, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said.The humanitarian relief goods include food items, tents, blankets, medical supplies, survival and hygiene equipment, and high-capacity water pumps, according to the spokesperson on Thursday.Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that devastating floods have caused immense damage with the communication system, crops, houses and roads completely destroyed in parts of Pakistan, Xinhua news agency reported.The federal government has allocated 70 billion rupees (nearly $295.5 million) for the victims, while 24 billion rupees have already been distributed to the flood victims, the Prime Minister added on Wednesday.According to the latest figures released by the National Disaster Management Authority, the floods in the country have killed 1,508 people, injured more than 12,000 others and left thousands homeless since mid-June.
--IANS int/khz/

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